10: Chapter 10: Ghost Stories? Perhaps we should teach it some capitalist thinking!

Su Yun leaned back in his chair.

A flash of black light flickered in the depths of his eyes, vanishing in an instant.

The prompt panel just now had made it very clear.

To achieve a perfect devouring, one must first break the rules.

Unleashing tentacles to devour it directly would certainly be satisfying, but no one would compensate him for the missing growth points.

Furthermore, if a fight broke out, Chu Youwei and the other ordinary classmates were still here.

There was no guarantee they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire, and it would expose his identity.

Therefore, when dealing with a Strange Tales that killed based on moronic rules, using one's brain to clear the level yielded the highest returns.

On the podium, Old Zhou began distributing test papers.

A stack of ghastly white paper was passed back from the first row.

The paper felt ice-cold to the touch, and what was printed on it wasn't ink, but dried, dark red bloodstains.

Chu Youwei took the paper, her fingers tightening around it.

Cold sweat seeped from her fair forehead.

The pressure this Strange Tales exerted on her was definitely not B-Level Weird Tale, it might even exceed C-Level.

It was simply not something she could handle!

She quickly reached for her school uniform pocket with her left hand.

Inside the pocket was a special talisman given to her by an elder of her Family, which could break through the Domain within a low-level Strange Tales to call for help outside.

Chu Youwei crushed the talisman with force, attempting to call for help.

No reaction.

The space had been completely sealed off.

Psionic User fluctuations were firmly suppressed within the narrow box of the classroom.

As expected, this Strange Tales was above D-Level.

Chu Youwei gritted her teeth, her right hand quietly gripping a specially made ballpoint pen.

She prepared to force a breakthrough.

Just then, Li Hao, who was sitting in front of Su Yun, stood up abruptly.

He grabbed that ghastly white test paper and slammed it onto the desk with a loud slap.

"Old Zhou, are you sick?"

Li Hao shouted, pointing at the test paper with a face full of fury, "What kind of moronic questions are these? Is playing pranks early in the morning fun?"

Old Zhou on the podium stopped his movements.

He slowly turned his head, his murky eyeballs locking onto Li Hao.

The corners of his mouth, already split, stretched even wider, tearing the flesh on both sides of his cheeks directly to reveal dark red gums.

"During the exam, making loud noises, questioning the test questions."

Old Zhou's voice became sharp and piercing.

"Violating examination hall discipline. Answer the first question immediately. Answer wrong, die."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Zhou's neck began to squirm.

The flesh stretched, and the bones emitted a clicking friction sound.

That head detached directly from his body, crossed three rows of desks, and hovered in front of Li Hao.

Foul-smelling blood dripped onto the tip of Li Hao's nose.

The anger on Li Hao's face froze instantly.

His legs went weak, and he slumped back into his chair.

His crotch was soaked.

"Read the question."

Old Zhou's blood-filled maw was almost pressed against Li Hao's forehead.

"Answer."

Li Hao shivered all over, his gaze trembling as it fell on the test paper.

[Multiple Choice Question 1: At twelve o'clock in the middle of the night, your mother brings you a bowl of meat soup. You take a sip and discover a severed human finger covered in blood at the bottom of the bowl. What should you do?]

[A. Call the police for help immediately]

[B. Pretend you didn't see it and pour the soup away]

[C. Eat the finger and praise your mother's cooking skills]

[D. Take a knife and kill your mother]

This was simply not a question a normal human could come up with.

A suffocating despair instantly filled the classroom.

Several girls in the front row had already slumped in their chairs, covering their mouths tightly, tears falling uncontrollably, not even daring to let out a whimper.

Wang Dan was so scared she lay on the desk, trembling violently.

Someone even started frantically dialing the emergency number blindly on their phone under the desk, only to despair upon finding the screen displaying "No Service."

The thick, foul stench and the shadow of death tightened around this group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old high school students like a giant net.

They realized clearly that this wasn't a prank; there were no police here, no teachers, only a one-sided slaughter.

"I... I choose A!"

Li Hao squeezed his eyes shut and shouted in a breakdown, "Call the police! Police officer, help!"

Old Zhou's eyeballs rolled once.

The corners of his mouth curled up.

"Answer incorrect."

Old Zhou opened that big mouth full of fangs, aiming at Li Hao's neck.

The punishment mechanism had been triggered.

The Strange Tales was about to strike.

Chu Youwei's fingertips turned white, the orange light at the tip of the ballpoint pen growing brighter and brighter, cold sweat having already soaked the back of her school uniform.

She knew very well that with her current half-baked strength, facing a B-Level Weird Tale meant almost certain death.

But she could not retreat.

As a member of the Chu Family, as the only hidden Psionic User in this class, protecting ordinary people in the face of a supernatural crisis was a responsibility carved into her bones.

Even knowing she might die, she had to act!

But... she was really so scared.

Chu Youwei bit her lower lip until it bled, her hand gripping the pen trembling slightly.

She prayed in her heart in near despair, if only a hero could appear at this moment.

Even a high-level Psionic User hidden among the classmates would do, as long as they could suddenly stand up, as long as they could save everyone... anyone would do!

"Teacher, wait a moment."

Just then, a calm voice came from the back of the classroom.

The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through Old Zhou's low growl.

Everyone froze.

They turned their heads to look in disbelief.

It was Su Yun, who was sitting in the back row.

In an instant, the classroom was filled with extremely complex gazes.

The first thought that flashed through almost everyone's mind was: Who is this? How could he have such guts?! The monster is about to eat someone, and he actually dares to take the initiative to speak up and attract attention at this critical moment; is he tired of living?

But beneath the intense shock and fear, a selfish and dark sense of wishful thinking quietly sprouted in the hearts of many.

Several boys who had long since been scared out of their wits, upon seeing that it was Su Yun who stood up, although pale, suddenly let out a sigh of relief in their hearts.

Someone had stood up to attract the firepower!

Regardless of whether this kid was crazy, regardless of what he was going to do, as long as he could step up, the Strange Tales's target would shift, and it wouldn't be their turn for the time being!

Go on! Must drag it out for more time!

The longer it drags on, the better, ideally until the official Investigation Bureau or those supernatural beings come to save them!

Old Zhou's head, suspended in mid-air, also turned rigidly.

Su Yun stood up from his seat, holding that ghastly white test paper.

His expression was normal, and he even looked a bit disgusted.

"Old Zhou, this set of test papers is poorly made."

Su Yun tapped the desk with his knuckles.

"Questions like this that insult one's intelligence, I really can't be bothered to do."

The whole class looked at Su Yun with the gaze of looking at a dead person.

Wang Dan even wailed in her heart: Su Yun, you lunatic, don't get involved! You'll get us all killed!

Old Zhou's head retracted, tracing an eerie arc in mid-air, and stopped above Su Yun.

Hundreds of eyeballs hidden beneath the skin looked at him simultaneously.

"Questioning the test questions... you must provide a reasonable explanation."

Old Zhou warned in a hoarse voice, "Otherwise, you will take his place in receiving the punishment."

Su Yun picked up the test paper unhurriedly.

"Take the first question, for example."

Su Yun looked at the paper, his tone serious.

"There is only one finger in a bowl of meat soup. What does this indicate?"

Old Zhou was stunned.

Chu Youwei, not far away, was also stunned.

What does this indicate?

Doesn't it mean his mother is just a Strange Tales?

Su Yun pushed up his non-existent glasses and continued.

"It indicates extremely low ingredient utilization and serious resource waste. An adult has over two hundred bones and a large amount of muscle tissue. Yet she only used this one finger to make soup; where did the rest of the remains go? Storing the remains requires consuming electricity for the refrigerator, and disposing of the remains requires a lot of time and effort."

The classroom was silent.

Everyone's brain crashed.

"Therefore."

Su Yun ignored the four options A, B, C, and D entirely and provided his own problem-solving approach.

"The correct approach is to eat this finger, and then sternly criticize your mother for the waste during the cooking process. And suggest that next time she throw the bones and internal organs together into a pressure cooker to boil, so that the full extraction of collagen and protein can be guaranteed. At the same time, create a schedule for ingredient consumption and require her to strictly follow it."

"This question didn't even test basic overall management and resource maximization; it is completely detached from real life."

Su Yun looked directly into Old Zhou's eyes, his tone filled with deep regret.

"Too childish."

Old Zhou's wide, gaping mouth slowly closed.

The underlying logic of the Strange Tales was running frantically.

The four options it provided, no matter which one a human chose, would fall into a trap of violating common sense or causing extreme fear, thereby being judged as incorrect.

However, the answer Su Yun gave was more extreme and more inhuman than all four options combined.

It even carried the cold-bloodedness of a capitalist exploiting ingredients.

This completely exceeded the scope covered by the rules of the Strange Tales.

[Breakthrough Rate +15%]

Old Zhou's head slowly retracted back onto his neck.

Li Hao had escaped a disaster and was completely limp in his chair.

Although his lower body felt slightly cold, he couldn't be bothered by such trivial matters.

He just wanted to know why Su Yun dared to stand up to save him, why he was so awesome?

He couldn't figure it out.

He only knew that from now on, Su Yun was his daddy!

The other students looked at Su Yun in shock; is this guy the Reincarnation of Hannibal?

Chu Youwei looked at Su Yun's profile, the orange light in her eyes flickering uncertainly.

She had originally thought she was the deepest hidden expert in this class.

She didn't expect there to be another expert.

Now it seemed that Su Yun was either an expert... or a genuine lunatic.

At the very least, he was a seasoned eater.

"That's right."

Su Yun walked to the podium in a few steps, disdainfully kicked away a few drops of splattered dark red blood on the ground with his toe, his body less than half a meter away from Old Zhou, who had mutated into a Strange Tales.

The whole class held their breath.

Chu Youwei, sitting in the front row, stared fixedly at the podium, the Psionic User energy at her fingertips jumping frantically.

In front of this B-Level Weird Tale, as long as Su Yun moved even slightly, he could have his head bitten off directly by that blood-filled maw!

But Su Yun was completely unaware.

He leaned forward slightly, supporting himself on the podium with one hand, looking directly at the mouth that stretched to Old Zhou's ears.

And he casually flipped to the second page of the test paper.

"Since everyone is studying, let's take out the questions and discuss them properly. Look at this second question."

[Your classmate sitting in front of you is headless; he turns around to borrow an eraser from you. What should you do?]

Su Yun shook the test paper, while his other hand casually picked up the blackboard eraser from the podium.

"Sigh, this is another question testing elementary school students. The person who set the question completely failed to consider the logic of the real world."

"How can a headless classmate borrow an eraser? This indicates that he is using ventriloquism, or speaking directly through his throat. Hmm... that's getting off-topic. However, since he has no brain, he must be the easiest to fool."

"Slap!"

Su Yun suddenly slammed the blackboard eraser heavily onto the podium.

The muffled sound was deafening, forcing the several eyeballs rolling around in Old Zhou's flesh to shrink back in fright.

"The correct approach, of course, is to charge him a high interest rate for borrowing the item! Directly connect his major artery to my thermos, using fresh blood to pay for the usage fee of the eraser!"

Su Yun leaned his body forward, pressing directly into the Strange Tales's terrifying face.

His eyes revealed the cold-bloodedness of a capitalist.

"When encountering something brainless, exploiting his labor for free is basic common sense; do I have to teach you that?! This question doesn't even have the most basic commercial exploitation thinking; how did you become a Strange Tales? Fail!"

A look of great confusion flashed across Old Zhou's twisted face.

I failed?

No, he is a Strange Tales!

He's not a Capitalist Strange Tales!

The air in the classroom began to twist violently.

The underlying rules of the Strange Tales were running frantically, attempting to refute this outrageously absurd answer.

But a few seconds later, the several blood-red tentacles that had burst out from Old Zhou's neck actually shrank back.

They slowly retracted.

Rules judged—logic established once again!

[Underlying logic of the Strange Tales has been severely shaken]

[Breakthrough Rate +35%, current Breakthrough Rate: 50%]

The screams in the throats of the whole class were completely stuck.

Dozens of eyes looked at Su Yun on the podium as if looking at a real monster.

Wang Dan even buried her head in her arms, trembling frantically.

Too Heaven-Defying!

So much so that it made her feel physically uncomfortable.

Hey, are you the Strange Tales, or is Old Zhou the Strange Tales now!

Being played with and mocked to his face by an ordinary student repeatedly, the dignity of the Strange Tales had been challenged like never before.

Emotions were completely out of control.

"Roar!!"

The clothes on Old Zhou's body were suddenly torn apart completely, and the tattered fabric flew like butterflies.

Countless dark red tentacles covered in suckers and sharp teeth shot out like sharp arrows, rushing straight at Su Yun's face!

The distance was too close!

"Su Yun!"

Chu Youwei finally couldn't help but exclaim, the orange light glowing brightly, and she was about to force her way onto the podium to save him.

But Su Yun didn't even blink.

Facing the tentacles that were almost piercing his eyeballs, he just impatiently held up the test paper in his hand against the tentacles.

With a "hiss" sound.

The tentacles pierced heavily into the test paper.

Dark red blood squirmed frantically on the blank space, instantly condensing into a brand-new final question.

The violent, foul wind messed up Su Yun's bangs.

Old Zhou's wide, gaping mouth was almost pressed against the tip of Su Yun's nose.

A viscous, bloody stench gushed out.

A deafening roar was emitted: "Please... answer! Answer wrong... die!!"

However, Su Yun still stood in place, completely unharmed.

The laziness in the depths of his eyes gradually faded.

Replacing it was the excitement and disdain belonging to a superior predator.

His gaze swept coldly over the blood-red words on the test paper.

[You encounter a monster with three hands in the corridor; he wants to play rock-paper-scissors with you; if you lose, you die; how should you win?]

"You must read the question carefully."

While speaking, Su Yun looked down at Old Zhou condescendingly, as if reprimanding a poor student.

"Three hands mean that on a physical level, he can simultaneously throw rock, paper, and scissors; this is a guaranteed winning state. According to conventional thinking, this question is indeed unsolvable."

The people below swallowed their saliva frantically.

Even Chu Youwei held her breath, wanting to see how he would justify himself when facing this certain-death situation.

Su Yun sneered.

He raised his right hand high, aimed at Old Zhou's shoulder in mid-air, and made an extremely brutal diagonal chopping motion.

"Therefore, the correct step to solve the problem is, before rock-paper-scissors begins, first find a fire axe. With the best force-bearing cutting plane of a forty-five-degree angle, precisely chop off his two extra arms!"

After speaking, Su Yun suddenly stepped forward.

The invisible pressure suddenly radiating from his body actually forced the huge, deformed monster Old Zhou to take half a step back!

"Directly strip away his objective condition of being able to throw hand signs simultaneously from a physical level! When he only has one hand left, and is forced to throw paper to beg for mercy due to excessive blood loss and severe pain, I will then decisively throw scissors!"

"Slap!"

Su Yun slammed the test paper in his hand heavily onto Old Zhou's face.

Then he shoved one hand into his school uniform pocket, looking at the monster in front of him, which was about to collapse from the impact of the dimensionality-reduction logic, with composure.

A dangerous smile hung on the corners of his mouth.

"The process is clear, the tactics are reasonable, the logic is full marks. When encountering a problem that cannot be solved, directly solve the person who raised the problem from a physical level."

Su Yun's voice echoed in the deathly silent classroom.

"Teacher, for this final question, I can get full marks, right?"